USDA Decides the Current Rush to Rubber-Stamp GMO Foods Is Too Slow!

And who’s siding with Monsanto? Phony “food safety advocates” masquerading as political progressives.

In an attempt to cut already too rapid approval times for genetically engineered seeds in half, the US Department of Agriculture will, under forthcoming rules (expected in March), give GE seed companies—including the Monsanto Company—faster regulatory reviews.

USDA now says it plans to invite public comments as soon as seed developers file a complete petition for deregulation rather than waiting until the end of the review process. However, faster rulings will almost certainly mean that public comments will get short shrift. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, will get to address the public’s concerns (that is, argue against them) earlier in the process, and GE crops reviews will get rubber stamped even faster than the current average of about three years.

This is precisely what the GMO industry wants. If they can get the approval time reduced, they can sidestep opposition and start getting sales that much faster.

In 1906, American author Upton Sinclair wrote a scathing book about the meat packing industry called The Jungle. The book caused such an uproar that within a few months, the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act—two of the most important early food safety laws in the country—were passed by Congress.

Leading the call for food safety reforms were people who came to call themselves progressives; in fact, one of the biggest platforms for progressives of the era was to improve food safety. Yet today, one of the largest “public interest” food safety advocacy groups is in fact a biotech apologist—and an active defender of genetically engineered foods.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says its mission is to “reduce the burden of foodborne illnesses” and “provide solid safety advice to consumers,” while their “staff of experts encourages policymakers, government regulators, and the food industry to work harder to protect American consumers from contaminated food.” At the same time, however, CSPI firmly sides with Monsanto and the GE industry.

Currently, CSPI is defending former Monsanto lobbyist Mike Taylor—who is now the head of food safety at FDA—from a petition that’s gaining speed online. The petition urges President Obama to reconsider the appointment and remove Taylor from his position. Michael Jacobson, CSPI’s executive director, wrote in an open letter to MoveOn.org, “Michael Taylor is a devoted public official and I thought it was outrageous that he was being attacked in this mindless petition.”

Mindless petition? Why exactly is President Obama, a self-described political progressive, putting a Monsanto executive in charge of food safety? What would Upton Sinclair say about that? How can this be anything but a betrayal of progressivism’s roots? And how can CSPI defend what it is doing?

Here is what a MoveOn director says about it: “Michael Taylor is just another example of the revolving door between lobbyists and government that has made the American people so distrustful of Washington politics. Mr. Taylor went from working at the FDA to working at Monsanto and back to the FDA. Of course this back-and-forth raises questions about his ability to remain impartial regarding decisions that impact Monsanto’s bottom line.”

One of CSPI’s harshest critics has been Doug Gurian-Sherman, PhD. He is a senior scientist in the Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, where he focuses on agricultural biotechnology and sustainable agriculture. He is the author of numerous papers and reports, including Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops, and CAFOs Uncovered: The Untold Costs of Confined Animal Feeding Operations.

CSPI seems to have forgotten basic biology in its new report, complaining that APHIS and FDA are taking too long reviewing petitions to deregulate genetically engineered (GE) crops…. CSPI is simply wrong on the science…. GE causes unintended effects, where even the same gene inserted into the same crop as previously done can cause new unexpected, possibly harmful, changes in the plant.

The current pace and volume of GMO approval at USDA is already out of control, as we’ve seen with recent corn, alfalfa, and sugar beet approvals, even in the face of court rulings to slow down. Now with USDA ready to implement a set of “easy pass” regulations for GE foods, the floodgates will be open wide. Presumably that’s the idea: make it happen so fast it will be irreversible, and if it destroys organic agriculture in the process, that’s just too bad.

Environmental policy seems to change from administration to administration, but GMO policy, which is such a threat to our environment, doesn’t change at all no matter who is in power. Why are food safety advocates—both citizens and politicians— who should be the most zealous supporters of natural and organic foods, so blind to the terrible dangers of genetically engineered crops and foods?

GMOs are not only bad for humans but for the environment, for animals, for plants, birds, bats, bees…

Organics will save us all. Talk to Maria Rodale! Get her take on it.

A Beckmann

Genetically altered foods have not been proven or tested to know what long term effects they will have on people and animals. It is our right to have these foods labeled and tested and NOT RUSHED through a system that favors drug and chemical companies over the health and safety of the people eating these foods. They need to be labeled. The only reason the industry is fighting that is because they know people don’t want to eat these foods and it will effect their bottom line.
Stop poisoning us products and drugs, with ineffectively or bogus trials deigned to show the results the tester wants.

A Beckmann

Genetically altered foods have not been proven or tested to know what long term effects they will have on people and animals. It is our right to have these foods labeled and tested and NOT RUSHED through a system that favors drug and chemical companies over the health and safety of the people eating these foods. They need to be labeled. The only reason the industry is fighting that is because they know people don’t want to eat these foods and it will effect their bottom line.
Stop poisoning us products and drugs, with ineffectively or bogus trials deigned to show the results the tester wants.

A Beckmann

Genetically altered foods have not been proven or tested to know what long term effects they will have on people and animals. It is our right to have these foods labeled and tested and NOT RUSHED through a system that favors drug and chemical companies over the health and safety of the people eating these foods. They need to be labeled. The only reason the industry is fighting that is because they know people don’t want to eat these foods and it will effect their bottom line.
Stop poisoning us products and drugs, with ineffectively or bogus trials deigned to show the results the tester wants.

A Beckmann

Genetically altered foods have not been proven or tested to know what long term effects they will have on people and animals. It is our right to have these foods labeled and tested and NOT RUSHED through a system that favors drug and chemical companies over the health and safety of the people eating these foods. They need to be labeled. The only reason the industry is fighting that is because they know people don’t want to eat these foods and it will effect their bottom line.
Stop poisoning us products and drugs, with ineffectively or bogus trials deigned to show the results the tester wants.

A Beckmann

Genetically altered foods have not been proven or tested to know what long term effects they will have on people and animals. It is our right to have these foods labeled and tested and NOT RUSHED through a system that favors drug and chemical companies over the health and safety of the people eating these foods. They need to be labeled. The only reason the industry is fighting that is because they know people don’t want to eat these foods and it will effect their bottom line.
Stop poisoning us products and drugs, with ineffectively or bogus trials deigned to show the results the tester wants.

A Beckmann

Genetically altered foods have not been proven or tested to know what long term effects they will have on people and animals. It is our right to have these foods labeled and tested and NOT RUSHED through a system that favors drug and chemical companies over the health and safety of the people eating these foods. They need to be labeled. The only reason the industry is fighting that is because they know people don’t want to eat these foods and it will effect their bottom line.
Stop poisoning us products and drugs, with ineffectively or bogus trials deigned to show the results the tester wants.

TWS500

Show them the $$$$$$$$$$ and ‘political progressives’ are all phonies….

Most people don’t understand what genetic pollution will do and is doing now. GMO seed companies are suing farmers because they don’t plant GMO crops. Organic farmers near GMO crops can kiss their their certification good bye. Why are GMO crops needed? Not by most farmers now. They are not needed. These GMO companies are manipulating the food supply for their own profit. Food should be profit free. That will keep the vultures away.

john furlong

This recent appointment of a former Monsanto executive to head the food safety at FDA is a travesty, an affront to science and most importantly a blatant belly-up to Agribusiness that has steadily supplanted the diverse farming traditions of this country.
Reconsider this ill-advised appointment, as it puts another ex-Monsanto exec in a key position, further leading to food monopoly and biologic disaster.

Dr. J.H.Furlong

Deborah Donnison

Other countries do not allow food to be sold without the GMO disclosure so why don’t we have that option?? It’s simple …let the consumer decide if they want to eat that stuff or not. It is their choice. LABEL THE FOODS MADE WITH GMO PRODUCTS.
I am sick to death of these corporations getting away with murder. They lie about their products and intimidate small farmers and small businesses and NOTHING IS DONE ABOUT IT. As far as I am concerned these corporations are dealiing in TERRORISM AND I WANT SOMETHING DONE ABOUT IT.
Deborah Donnison-Registered Voter
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

judy kirkpatrick

Our citizens (young, old, rich, poor) deserve healthy food. GMO’s contain built-in pesticides and this is bad for the health of our people, our planet, soil, air, atmosphere. Our farmers need to be able to save their own healthy seed and grow it without threat from big corporations like Monsanto, ADM and others.

I have written to CSPI and told that organization I was in the meat business for 25 years
and saw how politicization worked against the public good for politcal purposes. I
further expressed the view I was against GMOs and the gBH business, or whatever it was
they give to cows and buy only organic milk and applaud the Europeans for boycotting
our meat and GMO productds.

I cancelled my subscription for their publication because of its support of Michael Taylor.

Kathleen Tammaro

Your article gave me chills. It was truly frightening. I am amazed that this is happening. Earlier this year, after finding out about GMOs, I made the decision to eat only 100% organic food in order to completely avoid GMOs. The fact that the FDA isn’t protecting the public is going to make the organic movement surge like never before. It is my fervent hope and prayer that GMOs will be eradicated by educated consumers who refuse to eat food that is dangerous to human health and the environment.

These so-called “food safety advocates” are so blind to the terrible dangers of GMO crops and fake foods ( and mutant animals and fish soon to be on the market ) BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT REALLY FOOD SAFETY ADVOCATES. WAKE UP! GET REAL! People who sell illness and death, while also at every turn trying to deny us our choices, our supplements, our clean foods, water, air, etc., cannot be regarded in any sense as “food safety advocates”. I can’t believe you haven’t figured this out after so many years of this increasing horror. THESE FOLKS CARE NOTHING ABOUT FOOD OR SAFETY!!! You know that – you must know that – it’s as plain as the nose on their collective face. I am sure you can figure out what really motivates them if you think about it for a minute or two! Blessings, E.

Deb Chrystal

I am deeply saddened that CSPI has caved on this issue. If the entire GMO situation is nothing for us poor misguided souls to worry about, then just label the darn stuff and let consumers decide with their pocket books.

I saw a TED talk today and have to wonder when I see a statistic that the United Stateshas the highest caoncer rate in the world, and the highest health care costs to go with all our GMO highly processed foods, what we are doing to ourselves, but hey, lets continue to skew farm subsides in favor of Monsanto and propriatary seed rather than organic operations…..

James Moffat

No GMO’s! Not for people food. Not for animal food . Not for ethanol. Not for any purpose.

We have the right to decide what & when new products, such as damaging Chemically based foods ( such as GMO’s) are put on shelves & whether they be Labeled. We refuse to be rushed on an undecided issue, when all we ask, is to know what we are putting in our bodies. This is a Human Right & we will maintain that right. If needed, Boycotting all stores that carry GMO foods will be next, on our agenda. Law Suits shall follow. Time is really on the side of truth & we will ask for Justice to follow this truth. Thank You, Sally Savin

Common Sense needs to prevail. All I see is several examples of misguided rubbish to push through a CORPORATE agenda. YES I AM ANGRY!

If you can’t run this agency in a balanced manner, it is time for this director to LEAVE! NOW!

We absolulte do not want a schill for the big AGRICULTURE! And further you should be stripped of all retirements and government paid healhcare for gross incompetence!

brad roon

Why do people think Obama is a solution? He is consistently on the side of the rich. He has not forced investigations into the entire manipulation of the economic system which caused the 2008 depression and current economic dislocations. He is good buddies w/GE’s mgmt and did nothing to stop thelm from paying NO taxes last year, but get ten million dollars plus in a tax refund. He wants to illegally give illegal aliens amnesty and help them find work (take jobs Americans can use. If the pay is too poor for SOME of what they do, make farmers pay higher wages, let the costs pass to the consumer, and there will be thousands and thousands of americans having money to spend, taxes to pay, society to support instead of being the second largest income source of Mexico)
That position is a felony, and there is a reason why a person has to decide to leave their country and become American.

GMOs – Obama is not going to help you there. He said he was, but look at what he actually does. Talk is cheap. Obama is not walking the walk.

Obviously the ONLY person that is going to stop GMO is you. You will have to take time to talk to your senators and representatives. You will have to tell your state people that you insist on labeling GMOs and if they don’t do that they don’t deserve office. This political system was set up requiring the people to participate. When we didn’t, the rich people did. In essence they bought the entire govt. All decisions magically seem to benefit the rich owners of corporations. I have a petition to stop the FDA from stealing our constitutional rights, but people need to sign it and then start a better one on moveon.org or signon.org. Petition: http://signon.org/sign/fight-the-fda?source=c.url&r_by=1617495
Yeah, it’s sticking my head in the lion’s mouth, but if i don’t will you? If you don’t work for change, how will it happen?

Jon Olsen

Is there a way to get this information out more widely, other than to us who understand already? Are you working with Occupy people, for instance? Jon

Rachel George

Genetically modified foods cannot be contained but inevitably pollute natural seeds. Even in the far reaches of Mexico plants have been found contaminated with genetically modified forms. Patenting of these seeds, and enforcing on farmers who cannot keep their fields free of them, have driven farmers out of business. This exploitation of power to ruin ordinary farmers is wicked.

buck

The USDA needs to get out of Big Chem and Big Pharm s pocket and take care of the taxpayers that they are paid to protect from those same people . I don’t want ANY genetically modified food , I am happy with it the way GOD provided it . And leave my GOD given supplements alone too . Why aren’t they getting all the mercury and arsenic out of our food , that is their REAL job .

Elaine Cassata

We will all have to grow our own food to be healthy. The more civilized we become, the more we are being fed like penned up cattle. Even the seeds sold at the stores are not pure. We all have to go backward 50 years and plant heirloom seeds. The taste is there, the poison is not.

Sam

“Why are food safety advocates—both citizens and politicians— who should be the most zealous supporters of natural and organic foods, so blind to the terrible dangers of genetically engineered crops and foods?”

Money.

Linda Zigich

The FDA, USDA, and many agencies have lost their ability to responsibly protect the citizens who pay their wages due to pressures of lobbyists in the midst of their own agency. Time to clean house and put people in who understand the genocide we will create globally if we do not stop Big Agra and Biotech companies from ignoring the irreversible consequences of their greed.

Dinah Fuentes

Please I urge you not to be in such a rush to rubber stamp GMO in my foods. I have a right to eat the foods that are naturally designed as nature intended. I don’t want Frankenstein foods for consumption. We are going down a path that will be truly regretted. We have already seen what it has done to farmers of India. Don’t you feel any responsibility for us? Because you will be accountable for letting companies like Monsanto destroy our crops and the health of millions of people as well as farm animals and pets this is endless and easily could be catastrophe reaching the whole planet. Many of Monsanto foods in test labs have destroyed organs in animals liver, kidneys. Why would I want my children to eat that? I don’t want that in my families food ever. I don’t want GMO corn, or any other GMO anything! ANH-USA, FDA, USDA is here to protect us. I am gravely concerned as a consumer and a citizen of U.S. How can I trust FDA when they have the head of food safety Mr. Taylor, whom was working for FDA and then went to work for Monsanto and now back to FDA. Clearly something seems very wrong here.

David Shelton

I’m quite weary of reading labels to avoid gmos, and I’ve recently heard that one can’t trust the organic label any more to avoid this crap. Now I learn that it’s still gung ho gmo on the part of our corrupt and incompetent government agencies that are obviously Monsanto sweethearts. Unless the population wakes up and strongly demands an end to this grotesque experiment with our food, the future of our species is very uncertain. Have you done your part?

Dee

Hi,

You would reach many more people by putting this petition on change.org.

Emailing these crooked senators/congress will not do anything. It’s like asking
the enemy to help you. They only help when its in THEIR best interest–MONEY!!

Emily LaBrenz

Gmo crops will eventually contaminate organic crops and there will not be any organic.
This is a take over of the food supply by Monsanto.
People should have the right to choose organic or GMO
No one knows the long term effects of eating GMO
GMO foods were kept quiet for years and no one knew what they were eating.
Is this what America has come to??
It should be proven safe first before going on the market.
The rush is on to force the GMO foods on the American people because they are starting to find out about them and wanting the foods to be labeled.
Once the GMO crops are out in the fields there will be no stopping them and that is just what Monsanto wants in the name of Greed!!

Michaelle Robardey

Please keep spreading awareness of this GE/GMO issue. Once our food supply has been compromised, there is no turning back! Thank you for educating the public and decision makers.

Linda N

What can we do about this that we are not already doing? This scares the hell out me. I do not want GMO’s in my food!

thom laz

what ever happened to our rights to know what we eat?

James Hartzog

The people pushing these genetically modiied foods must be eating the same stuff we are or do they have access to a food supply different from our? I think we need to find out where these people shop and make people aware of these facts.

Almost all of the evil throughout history has been perpetrated by MEN (and I do mean males!). It may be only a small percentage of men but they are the predators who have wrecked most of the evil on us and they continue to do so. These men, “leaders” in corporations, government regulatory agencies, congress, the supreme court, federal and state courts, political party management, the white house and state legislatures and governor mansions, are cowards! The last thing they want is to play on a level playing field. They are sociopathic power brokers who fancy themselves better than anyone else, the fellate whomever has the power penis to get advantage over their fellow man and they do it in mostly secretively, behind the scenes, underhanded ways. They lie, deceive, and commit morally (if not illegal) bankrupt assaults because they have no morals or character to inhibit their drive to get that to which they think they are entitled. They are, in essence, human garbage unfit to live amongst decent human beings.

Perhaps ever sadder is the number of women who know the true nature of these, their men, but enjoy the lavish lifestyle so do nothing. I believe one of the major roles of women is to inspire their men to a higher level of moral behavior. What a monumental failure these women are!

Those who fight this abuse of wealth and power are the true heroes and the really moral men and women. They are our hope!

It is already way too late for stopping GMO foods. The genie is long since out of the bottle and can not be put back. GMO canola with double herbicide resistance (acquired by hybridization out feral along roadsides) is very much a noxious roadside weed already. There is no way to put such a genie back in the bottle.

David Martin

CSPI is not for the people they show that by defending an obvious conflict of interest relationship with Mike Taylor and his apointment to FDA while maintaining ties with monsanto. This type of thing has happened with FDA and Drug companies. So if they are not part of the solution then they are part of the problem. I think its pretty simple if your going to play a potentially deadly game of russian rulette with peoples health they have a right to know via labeling. Im sure they know many people wont bother to read the labels but hopefully articles like these and word of mouth will wise them up. My question is where are the familys of monsanto’s management and FDA and CSPI buying there food? Because I doubt they put GMO on the table for their own children.

Elaine Hill

The majority does not want GM food. If the FDA does not want to label GMO foods then we should have the right to label non GMO. I thought this was a free country. The FDA is charged with food safety paid by tax payers and we are asking for labeling.

Lois Saunders

USDA
regarding genetically modified seeds. Please do not sanction the use of these seeds. I do not believe
they are safe and cause disease. Please consider an Organic Farming Bill. I believe we have to protect organic seeds and organic farming. We need people with integrity and to look at the failures of genetically modified crops and set limits on their use
Sincerely,
Lois Saunders

Anne

As a very longtime supporter of CSPI, I am utterly appalled. I have not seen evidence in Nutrition Action that CSPI thinks GM foods are just fine, but then I don’t recall the issue being addressed at all, and this is perhaps why. In my view, even if the genetic modification itself doesn’t harm the eater and the web of life that evolved with the UNmodified plant (and THAT’s a stretch), the excessive herbicides the plants are genetically modified to survive and the systemic insecticide will harm the eater. That is not hard at all to understand. I want to see a full explanation from CSPI.

wm cahill

People do not realize how we are pawns of the wall street. You do what they want.

Marie Silva

I signed against it last time, and rec’d a letter from Str. Brown, telling me he supports the bill.
I unsubscribed to his emails. Why isn’t the president and the other supporters of this bill
realizing the effects that the GEfoods could have on people with food allergies? To not know
what may lurk inside your food could be disasterous for many allergic people. Why is it that the consumer counts last in these decisions? Why isn’t this put to a vote by the general public at
the pollsI I hope someone is listening!

I for one am SICK & TIRED OF MONSANTO running our country & our food. I am done. We are going to Occupy our food & grocery stores & restaurants will go under, and for what? One corrupt corporation? Other countries wont buy it either. I think it should ALL be fed to Monsanto board members, presidents & vices, also ALL GOVERNMENT

Lannea Cangelosi

As the US agriculture reaches a higher use of GMO seeds the countries that have banned the use of these seeds will not longer purchase from US farmers. It is not enough the the citizens will be subjected to eating the products from these seeds we will also lose the ability to compete in the world market. I

Robert Cruder

“Shockingly, CSPI even wrote FDA asking the agency to silence companies that have been telling customers their foods do not contain GE ingredients!”

Under current law, such labeling constitutes a health claim. All food-related health claims must be pre-approved by the FDA. A broad claim regarding non_GM products would be automatically rejected but narrow claims relating to specific ingredients are possible.

To date, no harm has been demonstrated to the FDA from any GM ingredient or any product containing GM ingredients. If that were demonstrated for a GM ingredient, it would support the labeling if that ingredient would normally have been used in the labeled product and if the labeled product includes the non-GM version of that ingredient. One could not label frozen spinach as non-GM on grounds that it does not contain GM corn.

To date, no health advantage has been demonstrated to the FDA from the consumption of non-GM products over GM products. Were that demonstrated for one non-GM ingredient it would support the labeling if that non-GM ingredient was used in the labeled product and if competing products used the GM version. Adding non-GM salmon to cake mix would not justify non-GM labeling.

Were evidence of harm shown for GM sugar beets, non-GM beet sugar could be labeled as non-GM but cane sugar could not be similarly labeled.

Without evidence, the FDA is required by law to reject the health claim implicit in non-GM labeling. The same law required the FDA to oppose non-BGH labeling of milk but allowed organic labeling.

There were labeling alternatives for milk. Producers could qualify for organic labeling or label non-BGH milk as non-cruelty (an allowed non-health claim) due to the less intensive utilization of the cattle.

Producers of today’s non-GM products could not reasonably argue that GM is cruel to microbes, to plants or to fish but could still seek organic status.

I do not understand why ANH does not encourage those producers who sought non-GM labeling to simply become organic since ANH has regularly promoted organic over conventional production.

One is not immune to a law because one is afraid, because one is being made afraid by others or because one has made others afraid. Neither does one become immune by inciting the fearful to pressure the FDA.

Ian MacLeod

“There are no studies proving” any of that because the FDA refuses to acknowledge them! There are a number of studies and a great many anecdotal indicators that GMO “foods” are dangerous, and in some cases even deadly. Immune system damage, massive allergic reactions, sterility and other effects are common. The FDA refuses to evaluate any of the real evidence. Taylor is a Monsanto employee and he’ll doubtless be back there after dismantling as much of our food and drug safety programs can be done. Monsanto and other corporation in Big Ag are determined to :control the entire world food supply,” and I can’t imagine a more deadly circumstance for humanity. If we don’t stop this slide into fascism and get the corporations OUT of our government, we can expect even the supposedly well-fed to starve, finally dying of the entirely preventable diseases of malnutrition! To avoid that part of their “final solution” we have GOT to return honest science to food safety studies and keep them out of the hands of corporate reps who redact or bury them long enough to get them to the public!

Ian

janeto

No testing for human, animal or environmental safety, none. Why do we even vote? It makes no difference who is in office. We must get the petition moving among outraged people to fire Michael Taylor. I called yesterday to the President’s office but doubt that the person taking the message understood at all what I was saying.

Ian MacLeod

Between outright lies by industry and their clandestine supporters masquerading as impartial experts, monetary incentives to lie – especially incentives to politicians – and perhaps worst, the takeover of our regulatory agencies by industry operatives coupled with a government-controlled MSM, most people, even professionals who just don’t have time to practically live on the Internet to winnow countless URLs in order to learn the truth simply are not exposed to it! The lies vastly exceed the truth in every category of dissemination of information. What we need is an organization that has monitored experts in each field with no incentive to lie whose job it is to learn the truth and post it, perhaps send it out to a mailing list., but this takes money – something that is in short and rapidly dwindling supply. We also need to have penalties for corporations that are poisoning people, “knowingly” or not!

As things stand, corporations, or rather those who run them and those who profit from them, believe that what were once called “windfall profits” are a set-in-concrete right no matter how poor quality the product is, no matter who is harmed in what ways up to and including death! Corporations aren’t just “persons,” they are so privileged as to be immune to all laws including murder-for-profit! This insanity MUST stop! If corporations are person, then we need to start executing a few for mass murder, wanton destruction of the Commons, theft, false advertising and everything else they’re doing contrary to reasonable protective laws, which much also be passed.

Ian

Jean Thorsen

Our Senattors and Representatives must pass a law making such an act illlegal. Monsanto has done enough damage already.

Charlotte Wales

It is unbelievable that our government would even CONSIDER putting such a person in charge of our food supply via FDA! This man is a corporate shill, whose very background precludes him from having ANYTHING to do with the safety of our food supply. We do NOT want gmo’s in our foods – we want clean, fresh, natural foods – not corporate gmo’s and foods soaked in pesticides and chemical fertilizers. DO YOUR JOB – put a responsible person in charge of the FDA!!!

Vernell

It seems to me that as a former lobbyist for Monsanto, Mike Taylor has a clear conflict of interest as the head of food safety for the FDA and cannot function effectively and objectively in both positions even though they are not concurrent. The ideologies behind both concepts are not compatible and thus it is not humanly possible to represent both ideologies objectively and fairly. It is in the best interests of the people of the Untied States of America and any other nation where our seed products are being shipped or imported, that he be replaced in this position by someone who has not been paid by any organization whose position and activities are promoting concepts that are contrary and possibly detrimental to the original intention of the creator of the original products and the health of those people.

Lynn

After reading many (not all) comments I am wondering whether the commentators actually read the CSPI letter to the FDA. It specifically addresses that some manufacturers are exploiting shoppers’ fears by suggesting their baby applesauce is alone among all choices better because it does not contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms). There are no GMOs or organisms of any kind, for that matter, in any brand of baby applesauce. Advertising “no GMOs” is, by mislabeling, suggesting its product is better or healthier than the competition. There are other examples as well of the mislabeling-to-exploit-fear issue. This particular letter takes no stand whatever on the benefits or disadvantages of GE (genetically engineered) foods. It is about mislabeling, a legitimate practice the FDA applies to pharmaceuticals and supplements also. Consumerlab does the same with supplements it evaluates. For the Record: it is my opinion that the FDA is corrupt and untrustable, that it is in bed with Big Pharma and Big Ag. I strongly oppose genetically engineered foods and excess flouride in water, etc, etc. Save your passion for the real fights and go to the sources so your objections will have some validity.

Kathy Rosenberg

I just want to know what they are eating and what they are feeding their family???

Felisa Manor

This is not a free country and it has not been for a long long time. It does not matter who is the president he only does what the movers and the shakers tell him to do. It is up to the people to get educated like in Europe and stand up. But there are sooooo many educated people in this country that don’t have no comen sence. They still belive that America is sooo good and they trust the government. How dare the government would not polute or kill us like that right? Hahaha I guess they have already been controled by means of the food. Wake up America ur government is bringing the people down. Stand up and fight your war here and not overseas.

Mark

Monsanto knows full well it’s an evil company (it needs an army of lawyers to protect itself from the public), and so do the politicians who approve this kind of atrocity. It’s time to recognize these subhumans for what they are, evil people. They are psychotics who are deliberately and knowingly harming, sickening and subjugating others. They are a danger to society and to others, including their own families.